In Italy, Both Cattle and Their Caretakers Verge on Endangered

The once-plentififul, wild-raised cattle of Tuscany have a new problem: The numbers of their caretakers are starting to dwindle as much as their own, according to a story in today’s New York Times written by Gaia Pianigiani. The herds of maremmana — prized for their meat difficult to find outside of the region (but once sourced by ambitious Chef Cesare Casella at his now-shuttered West Village passion project, Maremma restaurant) — have been tended to in the swampy southern Tuscan region of Maremma by butteri, Italian cowboys who have looked after the indigenous cattle since Etruscan times. But the long hours, low pay, and grueling work is a labor of both survival and love. Click on the NYT link to read more…